U.S. patent application number 10/228182 was filed with the patent office on 2004-03-04 for enhanced services electronic mail.
Invention is credited to Beck, Mark.
Application Number | 20040044734 10/228182 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31976012 |
Filed Date | 2004-03-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040044734 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Beck, Mark |
March 4, 2004 |
Enhanced services electronic mail
Abstract
A database includes one or more physical location identifiers
such as postal addresses, delivery or street addresses, or
geographic coordinates. A correlator correlates electronic
addresses with physical location identifiers. The correlated
electronic addresses can incorporate part or all of the
corresponding physical location identifier. The correlated
electronic addresses can further incorporate a reference to an
individual, such as a name or title, or a reference to a group of
individuals, such as by name. Correlated electronic addresses allow
reception of electronic communication. Services offered with
electronic delivery of correspondence to correlated electronic
addresses include return receipt, insured delivery, certified
delivery, forwarding, non-delivery notification, and non-electronic
delivery. Costs associated with operation of the electronic mail
may be covered by administration of postage or when the recipient
elects electronic delivery of correspondence traditionally
delivered by paper mail.
Inventors: |
Beck, Mark; (Charlotte,
NC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FITCH EVEN TABIN AND FLANNERY
120 SOUTH LA SALLE STREET
SUITE 1600
CHICAGO
IL
60603-3406
US
|
Family ID: |
31976012 |
Appl. No.: |
10/228182 |
Filed: |
August 27, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/206 ;
709/245 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 61/10 20130101;
G06Q 50/32 20130101; H04L 51/066 20130101; G06Q 10/107 20130101;
H04L 51/48 20220501; H04L 61/50 20220501; H04L 12/1457 20130101;
H04L 51/226 20220501; G06Q 50/26 20130101; H04L 51/222
20220501 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/206 ;
709/245 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/16 |
Claims
1. A system comprising: at least one input that receives
geographically-based address data; a memory connected to said at
least one input, said memory having said geographically-based
address data; an email address correlator operably coupled to said
memory for correlating each of one or more geographically-based
addresses with at least one unique email address, said
geographically-based addresses being determined from said
geographically-based address data; and a second memory operably
coupled to said email address correlator, said second memory
storing said correlations.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said geographically-based
addresses are selected from the group comprising a street address,
a postal address, and a latitude and longitude pair.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one unique email
address incorporates at least part of the corresponding one of said
geographically-based addresses.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least some of said
geographically-based addresses represent building addresses.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein said geographically-based address
data includes one or more individual identifiers each identifying a
person, one or more of said geographically-based addresses each
being associated with at least one of said individual identifiers;
and wherein said at least one unique email address incorporates at
least part of the name of one individual associated with the
corresponding one of said geographically-based addresses.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the relationship between said
person and said corresponding one of said geographically-based
addresses to which said person is associated is selected from the
group comprising: residing at, under employment at, receiving mail
at, and doing business at.
7. The system of claim 5 further comprising: an email transmitter
coupled to said memory and coupled to a user interface for allowing
a user to electronically send a message to one or more people at
corresponding ones of said unique email addresses.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein said email transmitter is coupled
to a user email system, said email transmitter receiving from said
user email system said message for delivery to one or more people
at corresponding ones of said unique email addresses.
9. The system of claim 8 further comprising: an email returner for
returning said message when said message is undeliverable.
10. The system of claim 8 further comprising: a return receipt
sender coupled to said user interface for sending a return receipt,
said return receipt indicating that said message has been accessed
by a recipient, said return receipt indicating at least the
identity of the sender of said message and the identity of the
recipient, a user being able to view said return receipt on said
user interface.
11. The system of claim 8, further comprising: at least one change
of address input coupled to said memory for receiving change of
address data, said change of address data indicating at least one
of: the creation of a new relationship between a person and one of
said geographically-based addresses, the termination of a
relationship between a person and one of said geographically-based
addresses, and the alteration of a relationship between a person
and one of said geographically-based addresses; and an email
address changer coupled to said memory for correlating one of said
geographically-based addresses with a new email address responsive
to receiving change of address data indicating a person not
previously associated with said one of said geographically-based
addresses is now associated with said one of said
geographically-based addresses, said email address changer flagging
an existing unique email address when said change of address form
indicates the corresponding person is no longer associated with the
corresponding geographically-based address and associating with
said flagged unique email address a forwarding address, when
available, said forwarding address being a new address at which the
corresponding person is to receive messages.
12. The system of claim 11 further comprising: an email forwarder
coupled to said email transmitter for forwarding said message to a
forwarding address when said message is undeliverable, said email
forwarder being able to forward messages by at least one of
emailing, faxing, and mailing by postal mail.
13. The system as in claim 8 wherein said email transmitter is
controlled by a single entity, and wherein recipients do not accept
email directed to their corresponding unique email address unless
sent by said email transmitter.
14. The system as in claim 13 wherein the single entity is the
United States Postal Service.
15. The system as in claim 8 wherein said unique email address is
only accessible on at least one server controlled by a single
entity.
16. The system as in claim 15 wherein the single entity is the
United States Postal Service.
17. A system comprising: a memory having a data input and an
address output, said data input for receiving geographically-based
address data, said address output for outputting
geographically-based addresses, said geographically-based addresses
being determined from said geographically-based address data; and a
email address correlator having a correlator data input and a
correlated email address output, said correlator data input being
connected to said data input of said memory, said correlated email
address output for providing at least one unique email address
correlated one of said geographically-based addresses.
18. A method comprising: accessing a plurality of
geographically-based addresses; and correlating at least one email
address with each of at least some of the plurality of
geographically-based addresses.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the plurality of
geographically-based addresses includes a plurality of street
addresses.
20. The method of claim 18 wherein the plurality of
geographically-based addresses includes a plurality of postal
addresses.
21. The method of claim 18 wherein the plurality of
geographically-based addresses includes a plurality of latitude and
longitude coordinates.
22. The method of claim 18 wherein the plurality of
geographically-based addresses includes at least some
geographically-based addresses that are encoded.
23. The method of claim 22 wherein the encoding comprises
encryption.
24. The method of claim 18 wherein accessing a plurality of
geographically-based addresses includes accessing a plurality of
geographically-based addresses wherein at least some of the
geographically-based addresses are for buildings, wherein at least
some of the buildings are occupied by people.
25. The method of claim 24 wherein correlating at least one email
address with each of at least some of the plurality of
geographically-based addresses includes correlating a building
street address with a unique email address.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein correlating a building with a
unique email address includes correlating a building street address
with a unique email address without regard for the people that may
occupy the building.
27. The method of claim 24 wherein at least some of the buildings
are occupied by people for at least one of residential and business
purposes.
28. The method of claim 25 and further comprising: receiving
information from a source intended for delivery to an occupant at a
specific one of the geographically-based addresses; using the email
address that correlates to the specific one of the
geographically-based addresses to email the information to the
occupant.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein using the email address that
correlates to the specific one of the geographically-based
addresses to email the information to the occupant includes at
least one of the following: automatically returning the email to
the source when the email address is no longer valid, automatically
sending a return receipt to the source when the delivery of the
email is complete, and automatically forwarding the email to a
forwarding address when the email address is no longer valid.
30. The method of claim 25 wherein correlating a building street
address with a unique email address includes correlating a building
street address with a unique email address that includes
identifying information specific to a particular occupant of the
building.
31. The method of claim 30 wherein correlating a building with a
unique email address that includes identifying information specific
to a particular occupant of the building includes correlating a
building with a plurality of unique email addresses, wherein each
unique email address includes identifying information for both the
building and each of a plurality of occupants of the building.
32. The method of claim 18 wherein correlating at least one email
address with each of at least some of the plurality of
geographically-based addresses includes including at least a
portion of the geographically-based address in the correlated email
address.
33. A method comprising: establishing a network domain having a
corresponding domain name; and establishing a plurality of email
addresses that include both the domain name and
geographically-based address information, wherein each of the email
addresses includes a physical address that identifies at least a
specific building.
34. A method as in claim 33, wherein each of said email addresses
includes an indication of a person associated with said specific
building.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to methods and systems of mail
delivery. More particularly, this invention relates to electronic
mail delivery.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Traditionally, First Class and other classes of mail
delivery by the United States Postal Service has provided services
and options which have been invaluable and necessary for business
and public use. First Class mail and other class mail features and
options presently include forwarding (redirecting mail that is
addressed to a no longer valid address to an updated address),
return (returning to the sender mail that is addressed to a no
longer valid address), certification (providing a return receipt
and maintaining a record of delivery at the delivering post
office), registration (monitoring of mail during transit and
creation of receipts created to document the location of the mail
at various stages in delivery), insurance (in case of loss),
priority delivery (delivery within two days), delivery
confirmation, and security (as provided by law and the Postal
Inspector). The United States Postal Service ("USPS") has, through
First Class mail delivery, maintained sufficient reliability and
independence from influence to be relied on for business and legal
matters. Courts of law, for example, consider return receipts as
proof that the intended recipient received a correspondence. For
this reason, businesses have traditionally utilized First Class
mail for delivery of bills, invoices, and so forth. In certain
situations, First Class mail is required. For example, many times
mailers don't have a choice regardless of the service due to a
legal monopoly--certain items, based on their purpose or content,
must by law be sent by First Class mail. Examples vary from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction but are often such things as
statements of indebtedness, notices to creditors, notices to
debtors, notices of liquidation, and so forth.
[0003] With the advent of the Internet, however, the speed,
convenience, cost and benefits of access from almost any location
have taken a toll on First Class and other classes of mail
delivery. Many people, for both personal and business actions, are
increasingly utilizing email instead of paper mail for many
purposes. Even uses that would normally require the features of
First Class mail, such as invoices or bills of indebtedness (return
receipts or certification of deliveries are helpful when a later
lawsuit is required for collection) are sometimes being delivered
currently via email. Without First Class features such as
forwarding and return receipt, change of address, delivery
confirmation and security (via governing law and postal inspectors)
increasing use by society and businesses of email as a preferred
delivery channel will result in degraded benefits such as an
overall lowering of reliability and documentation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 shows a general block diagram of a system in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
[0005] FIG. 2 shows an abstracted plan view of a generic street and
buildings with occupants in accord with prior art practice;
[0006] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram for a system for correlating
geographical addresses and email addresses according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
[0007] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of one method of correlating
addresses according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a system for correlating
geographical addresses and email addresses using associative data
according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a method of correlating
addresses utilizing associative data according to an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a system for dynamically
updating a correlated email address system according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of a method for updating correlated
addresses according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a system for delivering
first class or other class email according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0013] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a system for alternative
delivery of first class email according to an embodiment of the
present invention; and
[0014] FIGS. 11-13 show a flowchart of an exemplary algorithm
implementing an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The present invention encompasses the electronic delivery of
communications from a sending entity to a receiving entity where
the electronic delivery is able to implement any features presently
available for First Class regular mail delivery. In one embodiment,
the delivery of communications is electronic and can take the form
of email. In other embodiments, the final delivery of
communications can take alternate form such as delivery by
facsimile or regular mail.
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a communications system (100) that enables
delivery of electronic communications between two or more users. A
first user, desiring to communicate to a second user, initiates the
communication by using a sender communications device (110) to send
a communication to a network (120). The sender communications
device (110) can be any device capable of initiating a
communication through a telecommunications network such as, but not
limited to, a computing device (such as a computer, a notebook
computer, a workstation, or a computer network), a fax machine, a
personal digital assistant ("PDA"), or a cellular telephone. The
network (120) comprises a network capable of transmitting
communications and can include the Internet, telecommunication
networks, local area networks, wide area networks, Bluetooth links,
optical links, links over power lines or electric wiring, radio
links, satellite links, and so on. The communication can take any
suitable form such as, but not limited to, electronic mail, file
transfers, and so on. In one embodiment, the communication is by
electronic mail implemented by any suitable protocol such as POP3
(Post Office Protocol 3) or IMAP4 (Internet Message Access Protocol
4).
[0017] From the network (120), the message is communicated to the
second user by delivery to a recipient communications device (130)
from which the recipient user can access the communication. The
recipient communications device (130) can be any device such as
described for the sender communications device (110). The sender
communications device (110) and the recipient communications device
(130) do not have to be identical.
[0018] The sending of the communication from the network (120) to
the recipient communications device (130) can be done in a variety
of ways. In one embodiment, the communication resides in the
network (120), stored in a server or other computing storage
device, until the communication is requested or accessed from the
recipient communications device (130). Email accounts which users
access at their will are one example of this type of message
delivery. In another embodiment, the communication is delivered to
the recipient communications device (130) directly. Examples of
this form of delivery include cellular phones that store voice
messages when not answered, instant messaging over the Internet,
and facsimile transmissions.
[0019] These embodiments encompass the delivery of electronic
communications and facilitates this through electronic addresses
which, in one embodiment, are correlated to physical addresses. As
used herein, the term physical address refers to any way of
describing the location of people, businesses, properties,
buildings, or other facilities or physical locations and includes,
but is not limited to, all valid postal addresses, street
addresses, latitude and longitude coordinates, delivery addresses
on seagoing vessels, and so forth.
[0020] FIG. 2 shows an abstracted aerial view (200) of a generic
street. Shown are two streets (210 and 220), various buildings
(230, 240, 250, 260, 270, and 280) situated along Inverness Road
(220), and a person (242) named Mark Beck associated with the
building (240) at 2734 Inverness Road, 28209-3602.
[0021] As used herein, the term "association" means that a person
has some form of connection with the building, property, or other
facility having a physical address. Such a connection can be any of
a variety of situations such as, but not limited to, residing at,
employed or working at, owner of, maintaining a post office box at,
and so forth.
[0022] Traditionally, communication directed to an entity, such as
a person or business, associated with a building such as the
building (240) located at 2734 Inverness Road can take various
forms. The most traditional form is a physical delivery of a
written communication. For example, in order to send a
communication to a person residing in apartment 3 at 2734 Inverness
Road, a written communication is addressed generally with three
components: (1) the street address of the building (2734 Inverness
Road, 28209-3602) including (within the U.S.) a municipality or
city name and a state or commonwealth name (Charlotte, N.C.), (2)
an internal building address if required (Apt. 3), and (3) the
intended recipient's name (Mark Beck). Generic delivery, such as
use of "occupant" or "owner" instead of a specific individual's
name has also traditionally been used.
[0023] The present invention encompasses the provision of First
Class and other mail class features in the electronic delivery of
communications to electronic accounts. These electronic accounts
are defined by electronic addresses. In one embodiment, these
electronic addresses incorporate at least part of a physical
address of a building or property (such as a postal address, street
address, or other physical identification). In a preferred
embodiment, the electronic address incorporates the corresponding
postal address in a format similar to how it would appear on a
First Class mail envelope. For example, an electronic mail
addressed to Mark Beck (242) who resides in Apt. 3 at the building
(240) at 2734 Inverness Road could take a form such as
Mark_Beck_Apt..sub.--3-2734
Inverness_Road_Charlotte_NC.sub.--282093602@domain.com. This
example format is only one of many that are possible for use with
the present invention. Obviously, significant variations from this
form are possible such as, but not limited to, removal of the
spaces between the address elements, reordering of various address
elements, alternative use of abbreviations, use of partial
addresses or names, addition of further elements, and so on. The
domain used (domain.com) will vary as required by the entity
providing the electronic delivery service. In one embodiment, First
Class electronic delivery would be provided by the United States
Postal Service and a likely domain name would be usps.com.
[0024] Generic delivery is also encompassed by the present
invention. Deliveries to "occupant", "owner", or any other such
designation can be implemented by substituting the generic
designation in place of a specific name. Alternatively, the name
can be simply left off, thus the generic delivery electronic
address, in one embodiment, would only reflect the building or
property address, and, if desired, an internal address such as in
2734_Inverness_Road_Charlotte_NC.sub.--282093602@domai- n.com.
Generic delivery is useful in a wide variety of situations such as
communicating with the owner or head resident at a location.
Generic delivery thus has the benefit that one mailing is done to
each address and there is little undelivered mail.
[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention would be
implemented by the United States Postal Service and would provide
protection against those who would abuse electronic delivery.
Abuses of electronic delivery include, but are not limited to, such
scams as fraud, pornography, etc. In this embodiment, as with
regular USPS mail, the Postal Inspectors would have jurisdiction to
enforce existing laws. This feature is very attractive to some
parents who are trying to shield children from inappropriate
emails. An additional benefit would be a reduction in what is
called "spam email." With the system of the present invention, spam
correspondence is likely to be reduced as a result of the postage
requirements.
[0026] Providing First Class and other class electronic mail
delivery according to the present invention requires that the
necessary electronic addresses and associated accounts be set up.
Creating an electronic address for a physical address such as a
postal address or street address is referred to as correlation. In
order to do this, for generic delivery, an account and email
address must be set up for each building or property desired.
Additionally, in many instances, there will need to be multiple
electronic addresses set up for one building or property. This will
be desirable when multiple delivery sites exist at the building or
property such as multiple internal addresses in a building (a
likely occurrence with buildings having offices, suites,
apartments, condominiums, and so on).
[0027] In one embodiment, the present invention is applied over a
defined set of locations (geographical addresses, buildings,
properties, or other facilities) and at least one electronic
address is created for each building, property, or facility. While
generally, defining sets of locations which are contiguous is the
norm, non-contiguous sets of locations can be defined.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram for a system (300) for
correlating geographical addresses and email addresses according to
one embodiment of the present invention. In order for the system to
produce electronic addresses, the system requires an address data
source (310). The address data source (310) can be external to the
system (300) and can be any source such as a commercial,
governmental, or private database or other source of physical
address information. Physical address information is data that
contains physical addresses. As defined in reference to FIG. 2,
physical addresses include such things as postal addresses, street
addresses, and latitude and longitude coordinates defining the
location of pieces of property or buildings, and so forth. In a
preferred embodiment, the address data source (310) comprises the
residential and business address databases of the United States
Postal Service.
[0029] When system (300) receives address information, it stores
this information in a memory 1 (320). Memory 1 (320) can be any
form of memory such as, but not limited to, an electronic database,
a harddrive, a floppy drive, integrated circuit memory (such as
DRAM, SRAM, etc.), a CDROM, and so forth. In one embodiment, the
memory 1 (320) is a combination of a harddrive and system memory
incorporated as part of a computer system or server. The data
stored in the memory 1 (320) is accessed by a correlator (330) that
extracts address information for a specific property, building, or
other facility and correlates with this address a unique email
address. The correlator (330) executes the procedures necessary to
correlate electronic addresses to physical address information
stored in the memory 1 (320). The correlator (330) can comprise any
hardware device capable of carrying out this processing including,
but not being limited to, a microprocessor or application-specific
integrated circuit (ASIC). The unique email address for a given
specific property, building, or other facility can be generated
externally from the correlator (330) or as part of the processing
in the correlator (330).
[0030] In one embodiment, the correlator (330) generates the unique
email addresses itself. In another embodiment, randomly-generated
or user-defined electronic addresses generated randomly are used.
The entity that generates the unique email addresses, the method
used to generate the unique email addresses, and the predictability
of the unique email addresses from the corresponding property,
building, or facility address is a function of the specific
characteristics of the desired use to which the system (300) will
be put. As discussed previously in reference to FIG. 2, each unique
email address is generated to incorporate at least a portion of the
physical address of the corresponding property, building, or
facility. For example, given a building with the postal address of
123 Mea Culpa Street, Arlington, Va., 22202, possible email
addresses include: 123meaculpastreet@arlingtonva.usps.com and
123_mea.sub.13culpa_street_arlington_va@USPS.com.
[0031] Once the correlator (330) correlates a unique email address
with the physical address for a property, building, or other
facility, the correlator (330) stores this correlation in a memory
2 (340). The memory 2 (340) can be any suitable device such as an
electronic database, a harddrive, a floppy drive, integrated
circuit memory (such as DRAM, SRAM, etc.), a CDROM, and so forth.
In one embodiment, the correlator (330) stores this information
into a database in memory 2 (340).
[0032] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary algorithm (400) for
correlating addresses according to an embodiment of the present
invention. In this example, the algorithm (400) executes in the
correlator (330). The algorithm begins (410) by retrieving (420)
geographical or address data from memory 1 (320). The algorithm
then extracts (430), if necessary, the actual address from the
retrieved data. The extraction process may not be necessary if the
geographical data stored in the memory 1 (320) is stored in an
appropriate format. If the geographical data is not in an
appropriate format, has extraneous information, or is in some way
incomplete, then the algorithm (400) corrects this at the
extraction step (430). After extracting a physical address, it is
correlated (440) with a corresponding electronic address.
[0033] The electronic address selected for correlation with an
extracted physical address can take any form desired including, but
not limited to, randomly-generated, user-selected, predetermined,
or address-dependent. In one embodiment, as discussed in reference
to FIG. 2, the electronic address generated for correlation with an
extracted physical address would incorporate at least part of a
physical address is a way similar to the way the physical address
would appear on a paper envelope or package for regular mail
delivery to the physical address.
[0034] Delivery of mail to a predetermined person at an address is
generally more common than generic mail delivery to an address
(i.e. delivery without specification of any recipient person by
name). In some situations, however, physical address information
will be known about a building or property without any information
concerning any people associated with the building or property. In
one embodiment suitable for executing on the system of FIG. 3, the
correlator (320) creates electronic addresses that incorporate at
least part of their corresponding physical address. The correlator
(230) is thus only able to generate either a base electronic
address or a generic electronic address. A base electronic address
corresponds only to the physical address of the building or
property and does not contain any generic addressee or specified
addressee. A base address, however, can be augmented later with the
name of a person to create a specific correlated electronic
address.
[0035] Once an electronic address has been selected or created for
the physical address, it is stored (450) in memory such as the
memory 2 (340). Generally, the storage will take the form of a
database but can be as simple as a listing of the electronic
addresses, providing the proper electronic address for a given
physical address can be determined easily. A typical form for the
storage of the correlated electronic addresses would be a lookup
table associating physical addresses with their corresponding
correlated electronic address.
[0036] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a system (500) for
correlating geographical addresses and email addresses using
associative data according to one embodiment of the present
invention. This system is similar to that of FIG. 3 but
accommodates data associating people with buildings or properties
such as Mark Beck (242) as shown in FIG. 2. An address data source
(510) provides the geographic address data and can comprise the
same things as the address data source (320) discussed in reference
to FIG. 3. The address data source (510) is coupled to a memory 1
(520) and stores geographic data as it is received by the system
(500). The memory 1 (520) can comprise the same things as memory 1
(330) discussed in reference to FIG. 3. An associative data source
(530) is coupled to a memory 3 (540). The associative data source
(530) can be external to the system (500) and can be any source
such as a commercial (for example financial data or direct
marketing data), governmental, or private database or other source
of associative information. Associative data is data that provides
an association between one or more people and physical address
information. Generally, the nature of the association is also
provided by the associative data source (530).
[0037] The memory 1 (520) and the memory 3 (540) are both coupled
to a correlator (550). The correlator (550) carries out correlation
of electronic addresses with physical addresses in a way similar to
that of the correlator (330) as described in reference to FIG. 3.
However, this correlator (550) correlates a physical building or
property address with an electronic address that incorporates both
the physical address and the name of a person associated with the
address. The correlator (550) stores correlated electronic
addresses into a memory 2 (560). The memory 2 (560) can be any form
of memory such as, but not limited to, an electronic database, a
harddrive, a floppy drive, integrated circuit memory (such as DRAM,
SRAM, etc.), a CDROM, and so forth.
[0038] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary algorithm (600) for
correlating addresses utilizing associative data according to an
embodiment of the present invention. The algorithm (600) is
suitable for execution on the correlator (550) of FIG. 5. The
algorithm (600) begins (610) by retrieving (620) associative data
from the memory 3 (540) shown in FIG. 5. The associative data will
identify one or more people who are associated with a building or
property physical address. From this associative data, the
algorithm (600) extracts (630) the names of the person or people
and the physical address information. Depending on the original
source for the associative data, address information might be
incomplete or in a non-standard form. In order to verify that the
address data is correct, the algorithm (600) then verifies (640)
the retrieved address with the address information contained in the
memory 1 (520) shown in FIG. 5. Once the address information is
verified to be a valid address, an email address is selected or
created (650) for the verified address and associated person or
people. In one embodiment, the electronic addresses are created and
a created electronic address includes at least part of a person's
name and at least part of the physical address, complete with an
internal address if available set out in a standard format. An
example of this already discussed is the created address
Mark_Beck_Apt..sub.--3.sub.--2734_Inverness_Road_Charlotte_NC.sub-
.--282093602@domain.com
[0039] Multiple addressee electronic addresses can also be created.
Such electronic addresses can provide multiple people with
communications and are very convenient when their use is desirable.
The format for creating such multiple addressee electronic
addresses can be to incorporate the names, or truncated versions
thereof, into the electronic address. An alternative way is to
provide the group of people involved with a collective term. An
example of such a created electronic address could be
Beck.sub.13family.sub.--3104_Annry_Drive_Sunmmerfield_NC.sub.--282093602@-
USPS.com.
[0040] Once an electronic address is created for a set of
associative data, it is stored (660) in memory such as the memory 2
(560). As with the step (460) of the algorithm (400), the step
(660), in one embodiment, stores electronic addresses in relation
to their corresponding physical addresses for efficient look
up.
[0041] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a system (700) for updating
a correlated email address system according to an embodiment of the
present invention. The system (700) includes an address data source
(710) coupled to a memory 1 (720) that are identical to the address
data source (310) and the memory 1 (320) discussed in reference to
FIG. 3, respectively. The system (700) also includes an associative
data source (730) coupled to a memory 3 (740) that are identical to
the associative data source (530) and the memory 3 (540) discussed
in reference to FIG. 5, respectively. The memory 1 (720) and memory
3 (740) are coupled to a correlator and database update module
(770) that is coupled in turn to a memory 2 (780). The correlator
and database update module (770) and memory 2 (780) parallel the
correlator (330) and memory 2 (340) discussed in reference to FIG.
3 although the correlator and database update module (770) carries
out additional processing not necessary in correlator (330) of FIG.
3. The correlator and database update module (770) can comprise any
hardware device capable of carrying out this processing including,
but not being limited to, a microprocessor or application-specific
integrated circuit (ASIC).
[0042] The system (700) also includes a change of association
source (750) coupled to a memory 4 (760). Change of association
information refers to information which provides updates or
corrections resulting from the changing of an existing association
between a person and a property or building or the creation of a
new association between a person and a building or property.
Typical situations that result in a change of association are
people changing residence, people changing jobs, and so forth. The
change of association source (750) can be external to the system
(700) and can be any source such as a commercial (for example
financial data or direct marketing data), governmental, or private
database or other source of change of associative information. In
one embodiment, the change of association source (750) is the USPS
change of address database.
[0043] The change of association source (750) is coupled to a
memory 4 (760) that stores the change of association information
for the system (700) upon receipt. The memory 4 (760) can be any
form of memory such as, but not limited to, an electronic database,
a harddrive, a floppy drive, integrated circuit memory (such as
DRAM, SRAM, etc.), a CDROM, and so forth.
[0044] The memory 4 (760) is coupled to the correlator and database
update module (770) that is also coupled to the memory 2 (780). The
correlator and database update module (770) retrieves the change of
association data from the memory 4 (760) and uses this data to
update the stored correlated electronic addresses stored in the
memory 2 (680).
[0045] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of an exemplary algorithm (800) for
updating correlated addresses for execution in the correlator and
database update module (770) of the system of FIG. 7. The algorithm
(800) begins (810) by retrieving (820) change of association data
from the memory 4 (760). From this data, the algorithm (800)
determines (830) the names of the people and physical addresses
involved as well as the nature of the change. Any new physical
addresses involved are checked (840) to verify that they are valid
and in standard format and a new correlated electronic address is
created (850). Once any necessary new electronic addresses are
created, the stored database is updated (860). Updating of the
database will generally involve at least adding a new correlated
electronic address but may also require that something be done with
the old correlated address. If the change of association data
indicates that forwarding of electronic correspondence is desired,
the database is updated correspondingly. Alternatively, if
forwarding is not requested, the old correlated electronic address
can be deleted, marked as inactive, or whatever is appropriate.
[0046] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a system (900) for
delivering first class email according to an embodiment of the
present invention. In the system (900), a user communications
device (910) represents a device that is originating a
communication. The user communications device (910) can be any
device capable of interacting with an electronic network such as,
but not limited to, a personal computer, a personal digital
assistant, a cellular telephone, and so on. The user communications
device (910) is coupled to an intermediary (930). The intermediary
(930) generally resides on, or is connected to, the network to
which the user communications device (910) is coupled. The
intermediary (930) can be any device capable of receiving
communications and processing them such as, but not limited to, a
computing device such as a network server. The intermediary (930)
is coupled to a memory (920). The memory (920) can be any form of
memory such as, but not limited to, an electronic database, a
harddrive, a floppy drive, integrated circuit memory (such as DRAM,
SRAM, etc.), a CDROM, and so forth. The memory (920) contains
correlated electronic addresses. For example, the memory (920)
could be the memory 2 (340), the memory 2 (560), or the memory 2
(780). The intermediary (930) serves to verify that a message is
properly addressed to a valid recipient and address and that the
proper electronic postage, if required, is paid.
[0047] The intermediary (930) is also coupled to a recipient
communications device (980). The recipient communications device
(980) can be any device capable of interacting with an electronic
network such as any of the devices listed in the discussion of the
user communications device (910). Additionally, the recipient
communications device (980) could be any device capable of
interacting with an electronic network even if it is only able to
receive communication messages and not originate them.
[0048] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a system (1000) for
alternative delivery of First Class electronic mail according to an
embodiment of the present invention. The system (1000) is identical
to the system (900) described above except that this system (1000)
shows those system components that operate when an electronic
communication is not directly deliverable via the electronic
address set up for the recipient. One use for these alternative
delivery mechanisms is when the electronic delivery system, or the
recipient communication device (980) is inoperable. Another use for
alternative delivery, however, is simply when the recipient has
indicated that he or she does not want to receive communications
through the correlated electronic address set up for him or her.
While the reasons for this may be personal, recipients may elect to
not receive communications through their electronic addresses in
cases where they do not have access to a suitable recipient
communications device (980). In cases where intended recipients do
not opt for receiving electronic communications via the electronic
address, the opportunity is available for them to opt for a
preferred alternative delivery method. Delivery can still be
accomplished even when intended recipients do not opt for
electronic delivery and do not provide for alternative delivery
methods. In these cases, delivery can be accomplished via regular
mail.
[0049] In this system (1000), the user communications device (910),
the intermediary (930), and the memory (920) are identical and
coupled in the same manner as discussed in reference to FIG. 9. In
this system (1000), however, the intermediary (930) is coupled to
various subsystems that facilitate alternative delivery methods
including remote electronic delivery, facsimile delivery, and
delivery by regular mail.
[0050] For various reasons, such as large geographic extent,
political or legal jurisdictions, differing ownership by business
entities, and so forth governing the implementation of the present
invention, there may be multiple intermediaries in the system
(1000). Such systems are termed distributed. In general in such
systems, each user will have an intermediary that is local to him
or her. Communications from a sender to a recipient each having a
different local intermediary thus requires remote electronic
delivery. To enable remote electronic delivery, the intermediary
(930) is coupled to a remote intermediary (1010) that in turn is
coupled to a recipient communications device (980). While the
connection between intermediary (930) and remote intermediary
(1010) is shown as only a network connection, larger
implementations may require one or more intermediate intermediaries
in between intermediary (930) and the remote intermediary
(1010).
[0051] The intermediary (930) is also coupled to a facsimile
interface (950) that in turn is coupled to a recipient facsimile
device (1030). The facsimile interface (950) can be any device
capable of interfacing with the system (1000) in order to
communicate by facsimile transmission to the recipient facsimile
device (1030). In one embodiment, however, in order to deliver
communications by facsimile the intended recipient must have opted
to receive communications by facsimile and, of course, supplied a
valid facsimile number. As delivery according to the present
invention encompasses various First Class features, use of
facsimile delivery as an alternative delivery method is only an
option where the facsimile delivery can implement all of the
delivery features required by the sender. Thus, while normal
facsimile delivery is available for delivery of communications for
which no First Class features have been opted, delivery of
communications for which First Class options have been chosen may
not be available in all cases. In order to provide more options for
users, the present invention encompasses facsimile machines that
require the end recipient to provide a signature before receiving a
facsimile transmission. Such a system can operate by the sending
facsimile machine contacting the intended recipient's facsimile
machine and first indicating that a facsimile is to be sent. The
recipient's facsimile machine will then notify the recipient that a
facsimile is pending and request a signature. In one embodiment,
the recipient's facsimile machine would receive the facsimile,
perhaps in encrypted form, but not print it until a suitable
signature is provided which the facsimile machine then transmits to
the originating facsimile machine. Similarly, the First Class
options of delivery certification and insurance can be easily
implemented as facsimile machines do have the ability to confirm
whether the receiving facsimile machine received the sent document
or not.
[0052] The intermediary (930) is also coupled to a regular mail
interface (1060) which in turn is coupled to a recipient's mailbox
(1070) for delivery of communications by regular mail. The regular
mail interface (1060) can be anything capable of converting an
electronic communication into a physical communication such as a
letter for later delivery. Devices and methods of converting email
or other electronic communications into paper or mail pieces for
delivery are well-known. In a preferred embodiment, the converting
device or method used preserves any First Class features (such as
return receipt, insurance, etc.) that the sender has opted for. The
coupling between the regular mail interface (1060) and the
recipient's mailbox (1090) represents delivery by carrier and could
include delivery by UPS, Federal Express, or the United States
Postal Service. In a preferred embodiment delivery would be by the
United States Postal Service.
[0053] In normal operation, regular mail delivery is available for
most people and entities. As such, no permission is required for
delivery by regular mail. Regular mail delivery is thus the default
alternative delivery method and is available for any intended
recipient who has not opted for electronic delivery and who has not
specified a preferred alternative delivery method.
[0054] As First Class regular mail obviously implements all of the
First Class options, these options are available when regular mail
is used as an alternative delivery method. Use of the regular mail
as an alternative delivery method may require additional postage or
postage authorization from the sender, however.
[0055] The intermediary (930) is additionally coupled to an
alternative delivery interface (1040) which in turn, is coupled to
a recipient device (1050). This delivery system encompasses any
alternative delivery system other than facsimile or regular mail
delivery and includes human or automated oral delivery by
telephone, telegrams, messenger delivery, or less direct methods
such as notice or ad placement in newspapers, magazines, other
publications, or media such as radio or television. The alternative
delivery interface (1040) interfaces with the system (1000) to
convert electronic communications into suitable format for delivery
in the alternative delivery system. Accordingly, the recipient
device (1050) is any device sufficient to enable the intended
recipient to receive and access the delivered communication.
[0056] As with regular mail delivery and facsimile delivery as
alternative delivery methods, any other alternative delivery method
can only be used when the delivery options selected by the sender
can be implemented in the alternative delivery method, and where
sufficient postage is available to cover any additional costs.
[0057] FIGS. 11-13 show a flowchart of an exemplary algorithm
(1100) for executing in the systems of FIGS. 9 and 10. The
algorithm (1100) begins (1102) when it receives (1104) a request to
deliver a First Class electronic communication. The algorithm
(1100) then checks (1106) whether sufficient postage has been
provided. Additionally, in one embodiment, the sender can provide
authorization for the algorithm (1100) to obtain the necessary
postage at the time of delivery. One way this can be done is by
allowing senders who have previously set up an account to authorize
debiting of the necessary postage. In an alternative embodiment,
postage is not required so checking for postage at the checking
step (1106) is not done. If postage is required but not submitted
or authorized, the communication is marked (1108) as undeliverable
and returned to the sender. Marking can be done in a variety of
ways including, but not limited to, providing a header to the
communication explaining that the message is undeliverable for lack
of postage.
[0058] If sufficient postage has been supplied or authorized, or if
no postage is required, the communication is postmarked (1112).
Depending on the specific implementation of how postage payment is
done, the postmarking procedure may be required to prevent reuse of
the postage by the recipient. Another benefit of postmarking is
that it is a form of certification that delivery was provided.
After postmarking, the algorithm (1100) checks (1114) to see
whether the intended recipient has opted to receive communications
via the electronic address. If the intended recipient has not opted
to receive electronic communications via the correlated electronic
address, a check is performed (1116) to determine if the intended
recipient has set forth any preferred alternative delivery methods
other than regular mail. If the intended recipient has not opted
for any alternative delivery methods, the communication is
considered for conversion to paper format and delivery by First
Class regular mail. As First Class regular mail implements all of
the advanced features that are implemented by the present
invention, such as return receipt or insurance, any such features
elected by the sender are maintained when delivering the
communication by regular mail. To do this, the communication is
checked (1118) to determine if sufficient postage or authorization
is present to cover any conversion and additional costs for regular
mail delivery of the communication. If sufficient postage is not
present or authorized, the communication is marked as undeliverable
and returned (1120) to the sender. If sufficient postage or
authorization is determined (1118) to be present, the communication
is converted to regular mail and delivered (1122).
[0059] If, however, at the step (1116), it is determined (1116)
that the intended recipient has authorized one or more non-regular
mail alternative delivery methods, a check is made (1124) whether
at least one opted alternative delivery method is available. If no
alternative delivery method other than by regular postal mail is
available, control passes to the step (1118) of determining if
sufficient postage or authorization exists to deliver the
communication by regular mail and continues as discussed
previously.
[0060] If it is determined (1124) that one or more alternative
delivery methods other than regular mail delivery has been opted,
then an attempt is made to determine a suitable alternative
delivery method. First, an alternative delivery method is chosen
(1126) from those opted and the algorithm (1100) determines (1128)
whether this alternative delivery method is available, and if so,
whether all of the First Class features requested by the sender are
available via the alternative delivery method. If the selected
alternative delivery method is not available or does not implement
the desired First Class features requested by the sender, the
algorithm (1100) returns back to the step (1124) to select another
alternative delivery method and continues as before.
[0061] If the selected alternative delivery method is determined
(1128) to be available and able to implement all the First Class
features requested by the sender, the communication is checked to
determine (1130) whether sufficient postage or authorization is
available to cover any additional costs of using the alternative
delivery method. These additional costs may include, but are not
limited to, costs of conversion to the alternative delivery method
and costs of delivery in the alternative delivery method. If
sufficient postage or authorization is determined (1130) not
present, the communication is marked undeliverable and returned
(1132) to the sender. If sufficient funds are available to cover
any additional costs of delivery by the alternative delivery
method, then the communication is converted to the alternative
delivery format and delivered (1134).
[0062] If, however, at the step (1114), it is determined (1114)
that electronic delivery has been opted by the intended recipient,
the algorithm (1100) continues to step (1136) as shown in FIG. 13.
The algorithm (1100) checks (1136) whether the electronic address
provided by the sender is valid. An address is valid if it exists
in the database and if it is current (i.e. not marked inactive as a
result of a change of association or change of address request). If
the electronic address is not valid, a check is made (1138) whether
a forwarding address has been supplied. If no forwarding address
has been supplied, the communication is marked (1140) as
undeliverable and returned to the sender. If a forwarding address
has been supplied, the communication is delivered to the forwarding
address. Delivery to a forwarding address, in one embodiment,
requires delivery to a remote transmitter or server that is part of
the system executing the algorithm (1100). In one embodiment, upon
receipt of the forwarded communication, the remote transmitter or
server will execute a new instance of algorithm (1100) to effect
further delivery processing on the communication.
[0063] If, at the step (1136), the electronic address supplied by
the sender is determined (1136) to be valid, the communication is
delivered (1144) to the electronic address for the recipient's
review.
[0064] In addition to providing First Class mail features, the
present invention encompasses extended features. Extended features
provided by the present invention include, but are not limited to,
reply, prepaid reply, and confirmation of access.
[0065] The reply feature allows the recipient to reply to a
sender's communication. The reply feature can be carried out via
regular email, as is well-known in the art, or other suitable
electronic communication. Alternatively, the reply can be carried
out though the electronic postal system from which the sender's
communication arrived. The reply can thus be allowed either only
with required postage or, alternatively, without any required
postage as determined by the administrators of the electronic
postal system. In the event that postage is required, the recipient
would be responsible for this.
[0066] The prepaid reply feature allows the recipient to reply to a
sender's communication using the electronic postal system that was
used in sending the original communication, but with any required
postage having been prepaid by the sender or a 3.sup.rd party. In
one embodiment requiring postage for replying, the sender has the
option to prepay or authorize payment to cover the recipient's
reply. Such an embodiment could be useful to encourage replies.
[0067] The confirmation of access feature is easily implemented for
electronically-delivered communications and reports when the
communication has been accessed or opened for reading. In one
embodiment, passwords can be used to indicate who accessed the
communication.
[0068] In one embodiment, the present invention allows businesses,
especially utilities or other businesses having regular billing
requirements, to drastically reduce billing costs by saving the
costs associated with printing and mailing paper bills. Businesses
or utilities, already having a set of consumer addresses, are in an
ideal position to implement a variant of the present invention.
Such businesses can implement the present invention by providing an
Internet-accessible computing device and offering consumers each a
free email account at a correlated electronic address set up
according to the present invention. Consumers who accept the free
account would receive their bills electronically, thus saving the
paper billing and associated costs.
[0069] In another embodiment, the system allows for third party
payment of postage costs, for either initial senders, recipients
when communicating a reply, or both. Third party coverage of
postage can take several forms including, but not limited to,
anonymous coverage (where the third party remains unknown to the
sender and/or recipient), basic coverage (where the third party
covers postage for the sender and/or recipient. An example would be
governmental or business sponsored prepaid replies), subsidized
coverage (where the third party subsidizes postage such as for
lower income people), and advertisement-sponsored coverage.
[0070] Advertisement-sponsored coverage occurs when a third party
covers the postage in exchange for advertisement exposure to the
sender and/or recipient such as by pop-up windows, embedded
advertisements, and so on. Pop-up windows can be presented to the
sender when interacting with the system to create or send a
communication and/or the recipient when interacting with the system
such as to receive, read, or reply to a communication. Embedded
advertisements can be used electronically instead of or in addition
to pop-up windows and are simply advertisements that are or appear
to be part of the user interface used by the sender when
interacting with the system. Additionally, advertisements can be
embedded or appear embedded in the communication and thus are
exposed to the recipient when the recipient is accessing or reading
the communication. When alternative delivery methods are used such
as facsimile or regular postal mail, advertisements can also be
embedded in the media of these communications.
* * * * *